Lady Ellie ate one. At eleven p.m. it was untouched; by eight a.m. it was hollowed out, the seeds spread all over in a merry mess.That was over a week ago, and she seems fine. Nor has she touched the new one, same variety, with which I immediately replaced it. They're the green and orange type with long necks.At least, I think it was Lady Ellie who ate it; Hotspur ignored them the last two years, and dislikes the floor anyway.Of course, she might have been starving--by morning all that was left of their buffet was half a bowl of Ensure (they never finish it), half a bowl of mango juice with Nekton, some apple chunks, three grapes, the bowl of pelleted Insectivore Fare, and several pieces of quail.

Ornamental Gourds are perfectly safe for human consumption; they are referred to as "ornamental" merely because they are too small to be considered worth cooking. (They are not taxed because the government classifies them as food.) --Just make sure they do NOT have paint or shellac on them!I get them at the local farmer's market, and wash with soap and water. Even if they don't eat them, they're something new for the gliders to play with, that's small, inexpensive and safe.